The book starts with a description of what water is, how it’s all around us, and how it’s essential to life. Then, David Foster Wallace dives into why we should care about water. He argues that we often take water for granted, even though it’s so essential to our survival. He also discusses how our attitudes towards water can impact our health and the environment.
This Is Water is a fascinating and thought-provoking book that will change the way you think about this vital resource. If you’re interested in learning more about water and its importance, then This Is Water is a must-read.
There have been many occasions in human history when civilizations have vanished as a result of straying off course. Whether it’s due to political corruption, ideological convictions, or religion, humans have had their share of disappointments. Over time, new civilizations have emerged from the ashes of previous ones, and in some cases these new civilizations are stronger for it.
In his book, This is Water, David Foster Wallace explores the idea that we all have a choice in how we view the world and that it is up to us to make the best of our circumstances.
Wallace begins by telling the story of two young fish who are swimming along and happen to meet an older fish swimming in the opposite direction. The older fish nods at the two young fish and says, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” The two young fish swim on for a bit before one of them looks back at the other and asks, “What the hell is water?”
The point of this story is that we often take things for granted without even realizing it. We are so used to the water that surrounds us that we don’t even think about it. It is only when we are confronted with something different that we realize how important it is.
Wallace goes on to say that the choice we have in how we view the world is what makes us human. We can choose to see the world as a hostile place full of people who are out to get us, or we can choose to see the world as a place full of opportunity and potential. It is up to us to decide which way we want to see things.
We’ve all made the same errors today’s society has, which have led us astray and only by living outside of our normal routine can we truly recover our way.
This book highlights the importance of doing so. It is a book about how to think for yourself and about the world around you. It is a book about how to find meaning in life, even when life is difficult. It shows us that we have the power to choose our own thoughts and actions, and that we can use this power to make our lives better. This book is an important read for anyone who wants to find true happiness and purpose in life.
Today’s world of overwork and mortgage payments tempts people to seldom think about their conscious perception of others; this is known as our “natural default-setting” by Wallace (2010) (p. 2). Love, compassion, and our sense of oneness appear to fade into the distance… This is our “default setting.” We have the choice to see things in a new light, but we must first recognize that there are other alternatives.
A book that has helped me see things in a different light is This Is Water by David Foster Wallace. In this book, Wallace (2010) talks about how our natural default setting is to think solely about ourselves… but we have the power to change that:
“The thing is that, of course, there are all these other people in the world who are real human beings just like you and who have their own problems and who deserve your empathy and your compassion just as much as you deserve theirs” (p. 3).
We always have the choice to think about others and to be compassionate towards them, even if it doesn’t come naturally. It takes effort and practice to break out of our default setting, but it is so worth it.
This book has really opened my eyes to the way I see the world and the people in it. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a book that will make them think about their own life and how they can change it for the better.
The truth, in the long run, is more vital than anything else in a person’s life. People will always concern themselves above others when they return to their “default setting,” ensuring that this pattern of selfishness in society will continue. This is one of the main reasons for today’s society’s downfall. One must first be aware of it and then put out a great deal of effort to change it to break this never-ending cycle.
David Foster Wallace’s book, This Is Water, is based on a commencement speech he gave at Kenyon College in 2005. The book goes into detail about the point he was trying to make in his speech, which is that the only way to truly live is by constantly pushing yourself to see things from perspectives other than your own. It is only through this lens that people can start to have more empathy for others and work towards making the world a better place, one selfless act at a time.
This book is important because it opens up readers’ eyes to the way they have been living their life and challenges them to do better. It asks people to think about things that they may have never thought of before and to see the world from a different perspective. It is a book that has the power to change lives and it is something that everyone should read at least once.
